Source: Buiaa.orgBy tmubarakThe idea of helping animals is a societally accepted and encouraged practice. I mean, who hasn’t seen-and teared up at-the Sarah McLachlan commercial for the ASPCA? Yet there is still an epidemic of poaching and whaling throughout the world. Why? Because some claim it is vital to a nation’s economy. There is a commonly used argument in African nations that poaching is a vital economic activity and that stopping poaching is actually detrimental to the nation’s economy. Poachers claim that what they are doing is an important contribution to the local economy of their homeland. That without poaching, a piece of their nation’s economy would be missing and that that would be devastating. Another argument in support of hunting an endangered species is happening in Japan, where the nation claims it is whaling for scientific purposes. There is evidence that the whale meat is being used for commercial reasons, but Japan stands by its argument that they are simply bringing in the whales for research purposes. Should we allow an endangered species to be hunted if the motivation is academic? Is poaching a viable economic activity? Is there also a level of cultural significance to hunting these species, a culture that other nations cannot understand and should therefore not criticize them for? Come to SMG 222 this Wednesday from 7:30pm-8:30pm and voice your opinion on international animal welfare!

Poaching, especially in parts of the developing world, is as serious and prevalent an issue today as it was only twenty years ago. Despite steps to curb the poaching of exotic and endangered species, such as the 1990 CITES-led international ban on ivory, many countries are still faced with a growing prevalence of the issue within their national parks and reserves. This was recently exemplified by the law passed this month in Western India that allows forest guards to shoot and kill suspected poachers on site and not face any criminal charges or human rights violations.Poaching is not strictly defined as the illegal culling of endangered or protected species. Poaching also includes the shooting, trapping, or taking of game or fish from private property or from a place where such practices are specifically reserved or forbidden. Taken in this context, as hunting out of season or without a permit is also considered poaching, many hunters are often unaware of the legal designation of their activity.MotivationsThere are three motivations for poaching; food, cultural and economic. When food is scarce, traditional hunters have been known to poach protected species in order to eat. During the initial post-Soviet era in Russia, poaching was widespread due to the starvation and environmental cutbacks that occurred in many rural areas of the country. The cutbacks allowed criminal organizations to operate freely and poach tiger, bear and deer both as a source of food, and to be sold on the black market.Now, poaching occurs primarily for economic and cultural reasons. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) reports that illegal wildlife trade is driven by high profit margins. The two motivators often intersect as many animals are poached for economic reasons that are driven by cultural demand. For example, India’s declining tiger population is influenced by the fact that in some Asian countries, such as China, consumption of tiger penis is believed to increase virility. The WWF reports that an increase in demand for rhinoceros horn on the black market is due to a belief held by some in Vietnam that rhino horn can cure cancer. More....

Hunting wildlife for the pot and for commercial sale is far more widespread than most people realize, and is leading to an ‘empty forest’ syndrome in many parts of the country. M.D. Madhusudan and K. Ullas Karanth conducted a fascinating study on local hunting around two wildlife reserves in Karnataka. These are the results of their study, excerpted from their original scientific paper published in Ambio in 2002.

Mammals that weigh over one kilo are the most prone to hunting by humans.

Their meat and by-products – hide, horn, and bone – make large mammals attractive targets.On the other hand, these mammals are vulnerable to extinction—they naturally require large home ranges and bulky diets, have slow rates of growth and maturation, small litter sizes, long life-spans, and are found in low densities.

Excessive hunting could well push vulnerable populations over the brink.

There are two distinct types of hunting in India:

The first, market hunting, refers to the well-organized hunting of selected species for ivory, rhino-horn, tiger-bone, bear-bile, shahtoosh, etc.

The second, local hunting, is a loosely organized activity, prevalent everywhere. It is driven by local tradition, sport, or demand for wild meat. Local hunting is a big threat to Indian wildlife, since it targets a wider variety of species, and is carried out by far greater numbers of people. More....